


Spellbound

by OdinSlumped



Series: Dep's Tracks for the End of the World [7]
Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Damsels in Distress, Esther is pocket sized, F/M, Female Character of Color, Halloween is my fave holiday y'all, I'm adding tags as I go, Jacob has a sense of humor I swear, John may or may not have a foot fetish, Lingerie, Multi, POV Jacob for ch. 2, mysterious military fucks, not as in they fuck but as in they're assholes, the seeds wanna FUCK
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-02-08 15:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18626227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OdinSlumped/pseuds/OdinSlumped
Summary: "Your brother has some interesting tastes and, let me tell ya, a nice ass mattress."She didn't have to wait long before Jacob's response."You're one to talk."He sounded exasperated. She could practically hear John's fuming and clenched asshole in the background."Give me back my home!"John was right pissed and he deserved every bit of it.----AKA, Esther took over Seed Ranch and found something fun in the basement and then shit gets a little wonky what with John's kidnapping and all.





	1. Hook, Line & Sinker

**Author's Note:**

> Spellbound - Siouxsie and the Banshees  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hook, Line & Sinker - Royal Blood

She'd managed to send John a huge "Fuck You" by taking his ranch and Esther couldn't have been more proud. She sent his little Gucci clad ass running for the hills to lick his wounds and the thought brought a grin (nervous: retaliation? Probable) to her lips.

One particular night had her wandering into the depths of the ranch to find vast amounts of storage tucked away. Further inspection yielded her a manifest as well as a guide on how to navigate the various sections.  
Esther made herself a perch on a crate and flipped through the booklet. John had been storing way more than he let on. Probably more contraband than Joseph would allow even a Herald.  
One such section contained something suspiciously named 'Clothing: Miscellaneous.'. John was so anal about everything else, why would he have a random box full of 'seemingly' extra items? Everything else, from hats to socks, were labeled and had their own container.  
She hopped off the crate to go be nosey.

The guide was far more helpful than she originally thought and had to give props to John for it. She had to give him even more when she found the trunk inconspicuously tucked away between a few other containers.

Esther felt like a pirate and the thought made her laugh to herself. She laughed even harder imagining how to open the trunk, whether like a human or to punch it open like Kratos. She settled for picking the lock and pushing it open, letting the heavy top fall back onto the crate behind it.  
Inside were lengths of fabric, more than likely expensive as fuck. She'd leave them for now and probably go back to it later to make something nice.  
Esther had to settle on the stone floor to save her knees.  
Her breath caught in her throat as her fingers brushed against soft lace. She'd know the feeling of it anywhere. She pulled the rest of the fabric away and found the Holy Grail. The Arc of the Covenant.  
She was 98% sure John raided the lingerie section of every single store known to man and she was glad the boy had money because holy fuck did she deserve some new shit after going without for so long. Hope County was drier than the Sonoran Desert when it came to the finer things in life. Plus, she was pretty sure Jacob would like the delicateness of the lace once he got over the 'kicking his brother out of his home' bit.

Esther's upper body might as well have been in the trunk with how far she had to dig through the copious amounts of lace and leather that were actually in there. And she doubted that as shallow as John was, he'd discriminate with sizes.  
She was right and pulled lacey bralettes, panties, and even a garter belt and stockings in her size. John was into some interesting stuff considering the mix of men's and women's tags.  
Esther shut and locked the trunk, marked it on the manifest for later excursions, and took her small horde up to her new room.  
She spread everything over the silk sheets of John's bed and plucked her radio from her belt. Special channel for Jacob's special ass.

"Your brother has some interesting tastes and, let me tell ya, a nice ass mattress."  
She didn't have to wait long before Jacob's response.  
"You're one to talk."  
He sounded exasperated. She could practically hear John's fuming and clenched asshole in the background.  
"Give me back my home!"  
John was right pissed and he deserved every bit of it.

"Thanks for the ling-gerie, Johnny!"

There was an indignant squawk on the other end of the line before Jacob was back on and speaking so low that she had to cradle the radio closer just to hear.  
"You're a menace, you know that? They think I'm going soft because I haven't broken you yet and we can't have that, now can we?"

Esther shivered with anticipation, his voice was low and dangerous. Just how she liked it.  
"Promises, promises."  
He practically snarled into the receiver, someone else yelping and scurrying away on his end until it was just him.  
"Get to the cabin, Kitten."  
She was already half naked and cutting the shower on.  
"And wear something nice."  
She smiled and looked back to the bed.  
"Yessir."

Her shower was quick and practical, but she took her time moisturizing her skin with John's expensive lotions and somehow found an unopened tube of mascara. She padded over to the bed to examine her options. Esther picked the dusky pink bralette with matching lace panties but had to run back down to the trunk to find stockings that vaguely matched. After almost tearing the stockings at her thighs, she was able to clip the garter to the tops and look herself over.  
She threw on some cargos and the shirt Jacob gave her when he'd helped her flee John's bunker and shoved her feet into some boots before taking off down the steps into the kitchen.  
The lace and nylon felt godly on her skin and made her grin and shiver in anticipation.  
She found wine and shoved that under her arm and kept moving. There was barely anyone inside the ranch, everyone enjoying the twilight with little fires and BBQs.  
Esther waved at those that spotted her and hopped into her truck to speed off towards the cabin.

Somehow, she always managed to beat Jacob there and had an inkling that he was using the cameras around his territory to see when she crossed into it to get moving.  
By the time he showed up, she was lounging on her bed in the lingerie and on her second glass of wine. She could hear his bare feet quickly carry him to her room and stop in the doorway.  
Esther turned with a saucy smile, "Hey there, Handsome."  
Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned before stomping over to her and throwing a blanket over her body.  
"Jacob, what gives?!"  
He was acting cagey and was the exact opposite of how she needed him to be.  
"John followed."  
She visibly bristled and made to get up and do something John would more than likely regret.

"Stop."  
Jacob pressed her back to the bed with a hand on her chest and Esther fell back in a huff, looking up at him with wide eyes.  
He let himself get distracted by the contrast of the lace on her dark skin and traced the patterns over her breast.  
Esther licked her lips and arched her back to press further up into his palm.

His rough hands on her skin was addicting as they slowly descended to play with the ribbons keeping the stockings up.  
Jacob sucked his teeth, a habit he picked up from her.  
"John has the worst timing,"  
Esther, not giving a shit whether John had timing or not, pulled Jacob down to her so she could lick into his mouth properly.  
It was getting good, Jacob's fingers teasing at her through her panties when the distinct sound of the screen door hitting the wall had both of them startling apart.

"Where is she?!"  
Esther gave up trying to coax Jacob back down with kisses and groaned.  
"If you get rid of him, I'll suck your dick under your desk."  
He looked back at her and smirked (smirked!).  
"You don't seem too bothered by that. Sweeten up the deal for me, Kitten."  
He played with the nylon at her ankle.  
"I'll call you," She grimaced. "Daddy. Once!"  
He grinned, his eyes crinkling up around the corners. She wanted to kiss him again but kept her hands to herself.  
"Deal."

Jacob ambled to his feet and met John in the hallway, shutting the door behind him.  
The younger Seed stopped short and his stormy expression gave way to something far more amused than it should be.  
"Oh, don't tell me she's gotten you this exposed, Jacob. All," He glanced down at his bare feet. " _vulnerable_."  
Jacob rolled his eyes, "Go away." As irritating as it was, he'd somehow built up a tolerance to his brother's teasing and general bullshit.  
"I'll do no such thing!" John's eyes were narrowed.  
"I want my fucking ranch back! You hear that you little slut!" John raised his voice in the direction of the bedroom.

Jacob couldn't even reprimand John before the bedroom door flew open and Esther was charging at him with a 'Say that to my face, motherfucker!'.  
Jacob caught her around the waist as soon as she planted her foot in John's chest and pulled her back before she could do any real damage bar sending the other man to his knees.  
"You'll regret that. I'll carve every sin in you until you're hollow." John snarled.  
Jacob was still holding Esther close to his side, her legs slightly bent and clear off the ground.  
"Try me, bitch."

Both watched John's attention shift and his brain short-circuit as he stared at her legs far longer than what would constitute as spacing out or an accident. Especially for an environment so violently charged.

Esther leaned closer to Jacob with a 'psst'. She knew she had his attention by the tip of his head in her direction.  
She cupped her hand around her mouth to stage whisper, "I think your brother sucks toes."  
Jacob almost dropped her but held fast despite the urge to drop his head into his hands and wheeze.

"I do not!"  
"Mmmm, I think you do." 

Turned out John blushed from his hairline down past the open buttons of his shirt. As cliche as it was, a fleeting thought had her wondering how far the blush went.  
John made to protest again, but Esther interrupted him.  
"I don't like you,"  
He looked startled but barked out a laugh.  
"I don't like you either, Starstuff."  
Esther nodded, "Good."  
She stretched her legs out and wrapped her arm around Jacob's shoulders for balance as he let her down.  
Once down, she stood between the brothers with her hands on her hips. Both found her very distracting.

"With that settled," She rested a foot against his chest, lightly this time.  
"I doubt Jacob is down with sharing and we both know he doesn't play well with others, so you'll have to just keep this in your little spank bank, Johnny boy."  
She put enough pressure on his chest for him to sit back on his haunches before sauntering back into the bedroom.  
Both watched her go, hips swinging.

"Fuck."  
Jacob looked down at his brother still on the floor and grinned.  
"Yeah, can't have her though."

John narrowed his eyes at that and matched Jacob's grin.

"We'll see."


	2. Black Mambo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Black Mambo - Glass Animals

"John"

His eyes fluttered open to meet the dark irises of the woman over him. She placed a kiss just above his brow for good measure.  
He was shivering between her hands as she pulled him back together after being halved for so long. It seemed it was his turn for her special brand of rehabilitation for wayward Seeds. He imagined Esther took great pride in keeping the County safe, all of its occupants included. It was as if she could whisper and pet as long as it took to get everyone out of the collective clusterfuck Montana had been thrown into.

It seemed they were in the living room of her cabin and she'd tied him down to a fairly sturdy chair as she was sat astride his lap.  
His arms were tied behind his back, legs free and feet and chest bare.

One of her thumbs trailed over to his mouth and he eagerly lapped at the pad of her finger, maintaining eye contact as she slipped another in.  
Her other was at his neck, thumb brushing back and forth under his jaw.

Esther pulled her fingers from his mouth and put them in her own, tongue visibly licking between the digits before she dragged them from between her lips and down her throat, down down to the crux of her thighs.

He watched her chest expand on a long inhale as she sank those fingers into herself. He could feel the back of her hand rub against the side of his dick and shuddered.

She anchored herself with the hand clamped tight around the back of his neck, hair caught between her fingers as she tugged. His throat was bare for her as she leaned in to lick a stripe all the way up to his lips to kiss him deeply.  
Esther withdrew her fingers and rocked to her feet to give herself enough space to undo his slacks, pulling his cock free. She swallowed any and all sounds he made, practically devouring him.  
He was thoroughly distracted when she slipped the cockring in place and pulled away from her when he felt it, outrage clear on his face.  
She sunk down on his dick before he could protest.

Esther rolled her shoulders and sighed in contentment.  
"You're so pretty, John. Did you know that?"

He didn't think he'd be able to know much of anything with the way she was grinding her hips against his.

"So, so pretty and good for me. Aren't you Johnny?"  
He nodded as much as he could before both of her hands slid into his hair.

"Good."

She dropped down into his lap a little harder than before and threw her head back with a gasp.  
John tried to lean forward to get his lips on any inch of her skin he could but she angled herself away.  
He whined for her to touch him more or to at least let him touch her. He'd be good, he'd be so good so much better for her if she'd only let him touch her.

He looked up at her hum of acknowledgment and with a vicious grin, she slapped him. His head whipped to the side and there was a brief pause before she slapped him again, the palm of her hand rough and larger than he remembered.  
John's eyes fluttered open for the second time and the stern face of an older man swam into view.

"John Seed, finally."  
The man stood up to his full height.  
"Enjoy your beauty rest?"

" _Fuck._ "

"Oh, that's right,"  
The man, from what he could tell, was balding with a salt-and-pepper beard. He had beady green eyes and barely any chin to speak of.  
"From what we hear, your family would pay anything to get you back."  
The man moved to the side and John's eyes fell upon a camera held up on a tripod. The man behind the camera gave him a toothy grin.

"Say 'hi' to your brothers, Johnny. They probably miss you."

The remaining Seeds, Faith included, all stood around the TV projecting John's battered face. His eyes were glassy with barely anything behind them. They stared into his eyes for a few minutes, thinking the video paused. The staring went on for a few more minutes before Joseph cleared his throat.  
"Jacob," His voice was unnervingly calm. "What can we do?"  
"Hold on, Joe."  
Jacob fast-forwarded the video until the man from before came into view.  
"We want a cut of the Bliss, safe passage out of this God-forsaken county and," He pulled John's face up by his hair and sneered into the camera. "However much you think your little brother is worth with all of his fingers and toes."  
The man let go and shoved John's head so hard it lolled against his shoulder.

"You have 24 hours to get your shit together. Leave the money in the office of the Kellett Ranch down in Holland Valley by sundown tomorrow."  
The video abruptly cut off and left Jacob, Joseph, and Faith to stare blankly at the dark screen.

"Well?"  
Joseph looked to his elder brother with an eerie patience.

Jacob scrubbed a hand down his face. All things considered, this was one of the worst things to happen, Esther included. Speaking of, he'd wondered where she'd gone off to.

There was a rapid knock on the door before Faith beckoned them to enter. One of Jacob's Chosen had spotted an unknown party terrorizing both Resistance and Project outposts alike.  
Faith frowned, "It seems we have a new threat. How should we proceed?"  
All eyes turned to Jacob and he sighed heavily through his nose. At least he knew what was keeping Esther busy.

"Send in some Chosen to follow them back to whatever hole they crawled out of. We'll assess it from there."  
The man nodded and left, shutting the door behind them.

Jacob grasped the back of Joseph's neck and pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes.  
"We'll get him back no matter what. No matter how it's done."  
Faith came up next to them and took hold of one of Joseph's hands, her other went to Jacob's back.

His Chosen were able to follow the men back to their base just Southeast of the farm; amateurs. They'd be punished for their hubris one way or another. Priorities, however, had them mounting a rescue. The Chosen barely even sneak in and when one had managed to get close, they'd been rewarded with a .50 cal exit wound out the back of their head.  
They only had a few more hours until sundown and every second they wasted brought John closer to death. Jacob, Joseph, and Faith were pouring over a map for any options on getting in and out with an injured John in tow, but to no avail. They had, Jacob looked at the clock on the wall, five more hours until his little brother would be shot dead or sent to them in pieces and he couldn't let that happen. Not while he was still breathing.

"I think we should call a temporary truce with the Resistance." Faith traced a finger over Fall's End.

Jacob sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed a fucking drink.  
"And why in the fuck should we do that?"

She cocked her head thoughtfully and hummed, "Well, it's only wise so that we can move through their claimed territory without getting shot."  
Jacob considered her and, for a split second, a part of him was honestly proud of her. It was a strategic suggestion that could potentially aid them in the long run if there was to be any type of peace between the three regions. It wasn't exactly out of the question with what was going on between him and the Deputy, but no one was supposed to know about that, so.

"How?"  
Joseph was quick to ask, not usually open to suggestions, but it was John so fuck it.

"Well," Faith twirled in place, still barefoot with a manic gleam in her eyes. "We could always ask the Deputy to get him. It is Resistance territory, after all."  
Faith stared directly at him, that mania turned to knowing.

"It could work."  
Joseph gave him a curious look.

Jacob had been doing a lot of sighing lately and to think, his life had been so simple before Esther snarked him into bed with her.  
"Fine."

 

Esther, finally getting enough of a break, was able to take a breather at the Rye's. She had two feet up on the coffee table, sandwich in hand (courtesy of Nick) and ready to do absolutely **nothing** besides watch the boxset of Seinfeld she found up in Seed Ranch. And in John's room, no less. She'd have to mention it the next chance she got.  
Sadly, all of her plans went to shit with the broadcast of John Motherfucking Seed tied to a chair and being held for ransom. To even further ruin her day, Joseph's greasy face appeared next.  
"Deputy Solomon," He was looking dead at her, eyes somehow finding her own through the screen. She figured he'd probably look less like a fucking cult leader if he lost the piss-colored glasses, but that's, apparently, beside the point of the day.  
"My brother has been taken and we would like to offer you a deal."  
Faith and Jacob walked into view to flanked him.

"Oh fuck me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one's really short, but I had songs for each part and I really really wanted them to be a part of the story as it progressed.


	3. NFWMB

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NFWMB - Hozier  
> (I love you, Hozier.)

"Fuck! _FUCK!!_ "  
Esther stomped her foot. Nick came rushing down the stairs, Kim hot on his heels.

"Es, you see that shit?!"  
Nick was all red in the face, hair wild and lips kiss-swollen. Esther definitely didn't have time to tease him at the moment.

"Y'all clearly didn't; too busy sucking face. Surprised you heard anything at all." Nevermind.

Kim snorted and waddled over to the couch. Esther scooted over to make room for her, allowing the shorter woman to sling her legs over Esther's lap. She immediately went to rubbing Kim's ankles and at the arch of her feet.

"Keep doing that, Es, and I'll just have to trade Nick in for you."  
They both ignored Nick's squawking and laughed at him instead.  
"I mean, I'm not into cuckolding and I would hate to do that to him, but I think we'd make a really cute couple."  
Esther shrugged, grinning at Nick.

"If you trade me, I'll trade you for Sharky."  
"I mean yeah, no one else is gonna call you 'Daddy'."

The three laughed, temporarily forgetting the Seed-related dilemma until they sobered up, looking at the blank television.

"I'm gonna have to go get him."

Nick had since moved to sit on the other side of Kim, squished up against the arm of the couch.  
"It'd serve him and those Seeds right if you didn't."  
Kim elbowed him.

"You and I both know I don't give a rat's ass about him, but leaving him to die like that? Not a good look, Es."  
Kim had a point, usually being the only one with the brain cells in the relationship outweighed the petty nature that she and Nick both shared.

Esther wrapped her locs up in a bun and scrubbed a hand down her face.  
"It'd be bad if I turned them down. This is a truce that could be negotiated if I came at them from the right angle. I think rescuing John is that angle."  
"Plus, getting in Jacob's good books could, y'know, _help_ ; as weird and really shitty as that seems. I still don't know why I'm not flipping a shit about that, by the way."

Esther grimaced, "I... don't actually have a problem getting into his 'good books' or anything else he's got on him."  
She gave Kim and Nick a sly look that had the latter sputtering and the former demanding details. Esther promised to concede to her interrogation after she saved John. Precious time gearing up and figuring out how to get him were being wasted.

Esther picked up her radio, debating what channel to use, and opted to go with the open Peggie channel.  
A deep inhale and, "Joseph. Let's talk."

Not even half a breath later and his calm voice answered her call.  
"Deputy, I'm pleased to hear from you so soon. Time is, of course, an important factor."  
Esther hummed, he was so fucking weird.  
"I gathered that."  
"So it seems. Would you mind meeting my siblings and I at a secure location?"

Esther looked to Nick and Kim who were both shaking their heads. Esther gave them a thumbs-up.

"Sounds a little sketch there, Joseph. How about we all link up at Halloween Town. You bring the party favors and I'll grab the drinks."

Esther was already lacing up her boots when Joseph voiced his confusion.  
"Deputy, I don't understand--"  
"Got it, Deputy. We'll be there."  
Jacob, she assumed, had grabbed the radio. She knew one of them would get it. Clever man. Granted, it wasn't that difficult. There was only one holiday that involved pumpkins and only one known place to get them in the county.

Once she was all strapped up and ready, the Ryes pulled her into a group hug with whispers of "Please be safe" and "You better come back". Esther gave them a watery smile and rubbed at Kim's belly. She swore to baby Rye she'd be back. Not even Joseph's apocalypse could stop her.

 

Once in her truck, she'd radioed the Seeds to inform them of her ETA. She sped down the road feeling oddly calm. She should've been nervous to see Jacob with Joseph around, but there wasn't much she could do if he found out. Faith, however, was a little easier to read. The other woman was so tactile and Esther was pretty sure the rest of the Seeds were just as touch-starved as Jacob was.

No more than thirty minutes later, she'd pulled up beside a nondescript SUV. She'd figured not doing a perimeter check was unwise, but they couldn't afford for their only hope to run, so she'd be secure in that knowledge until they proved her wrong.  
She left her keys above the steering wheel and climbed out, briskly walking to the small house. She knocked before entering and walked into a wall of tension. Jacob was leaned against the counter in the kitchen, drinking from a brown bottle while Faith and Joseph sat at the dining table.

Esther made brief eye contact with Jacob first, she’d hoped her eyes expressed her determination to do this kindness for him. She turned to the other Seeds and nodded.  
“Good evening, I’d like to kick this off with a treaty.”  
She could practically hear Jacob’s eyebrows raise.

Joseph folded his hands on the table and tilted his head.  
“What did you have in mind, Deputy?”

Esther could see Faith’s smile beam out of the corner of her eye.  
“First and foremost, I’ll need y’all to stand down while I do this. I’ll inform the Resistance of the same. Later, we can discuss something long term if we’re to survive the End. In the meantime, we have to get rid of whoever the Hell this new guy is. I’m territorial like that.” She shrugged.  
“Also,” She pulled out a chair and sat in it backward. “Why me? I thought you hated me.”  
Joseph frowned.  
“Who better to do this than the one who is constantly rescuing people? We have our differences, yes, but I’m willing to put that aside so that we may get our brother back.”  
“He’s tortured hundreds, probably killed even more.”  
“And you haven’t, child?”

Esther knew antagonizing Joseph Seed while in the same room as three out of the four psychopaths was definitely not a good idea.  
She sucked her teeth, “Fine, but I want our truce in writing and triplicate.”  
“Done.”

 

Once the papers were all drafted up and signed, Esther leaned on the back of the chair, twirling a pen between her fingers.  
“Y’know, if y’all’d’ve just done it peacefully, preparations would’ve gone a whole lot smoother. You’d probably have a lot more people and supplies, too. We were given free will for a reason.”

“Esther?”  
She looked up to find Faith only a few scant feet away. She straightened up to look at her properly; manners and all that.

“Why are you helping us? I understand that this was only considered because of the truce, but why go to the lengths of this compromise?”  
Esther rubbed the back of her neck, the ends of her locs brushing against her knuckles from how high she’d tied them up, and stood.  
“Healthy relationships aren’t built off of compromise and they sure as Hell don’t stay healthy because of it. They’re built and maintained by collaboration.”  
She looked to Joseph and then Jacob who’d come closer, leaning on the arm of the couch.

“I fully intend to help you because it’s the right thing to do and also because it means that we all might make it out of here alive which is something I look forward to. Also,”  
She looked to the scattered papers on the table.  
“I may or may not be weirdly possessive over y’all now and, I don’t really know why, but nobody gets to personally fuck with y’all but me. _Nobody_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had to boot up the game and drive around for locations because Google can be SO UNHELPFUL. Also, this one is kinda short-ish but that's because I have to pack for a road trip I'll be taking this weekend with some friends in 3 FUCKING HOURS. JESUS.


	4. Run The Jewels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter was titled ♡*:.｡. CHILL GOOD BEATS 2 .｡.:*♡ by Ramune. The song is like 30 something mins, but yeah. Love me some Ramune.
> 
> Buuuuuuuuuuuuut I feel like this fit a little better so:  
> Run The Jewels by Run The Jewels, lmao

She'd been given an earpiece, a shiny new bulletproof vest and way more ammo than she could physically carry at one time. If anything, it'd only come in handy if she was pinned down but then again, stashing it and running back just to lose ground was a shitty alternative.  
The Seeds collectively walked her back to her truck and helped her load the supplies into the backseat. The hood hadn't even cooled yet and she’d soon be on her way. They weren’t fucking around, it seemed.

Faith had taken her hands and looked her straight in the eye, sincerity clear in her voice.  
"Thank you, again, Deputy. We greatly appreciate this."  
Esther ducked her head in a nod, her shoulders coming up slightly.  
"Don't thank me yet. I still have to get him."  
"Nevertheless," Esther didn't miss the minute flinch Faith gave when Joseph placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Thank you."

Esther nodded again and slipped her hands free. She took a step back towards the cab door and let her eyes wander over to Jacob for a split second. He was rigid with a closed-off expression that she had no time to dwell over. There was work to be done.

 

As surreal as it was, Esther was speeding down the county road on her way to save John Seed from a bunch of fuckers that thought it'd be a good idea to ransom him off to his siblings like there wouldn't be any repercussions. Evidently, the poor bastards didn't know who they were fucking with. Esther notwithstanding, the Seeds as a whole were scary as fuck on a good day. Whoever told them this was a great way to make some cash or score some free Bliss was setting them up for failure and an extremely bloody death.  
Back to the topic at hand, she needed to bump something that would get her in the mood for a bloodbath. Nothing like a little Run The Jewels to get the juices flowing. Man, the things she did for good dick. And the safety of others. Mostly dick.

She got near their base a few hours before sunset. The trees only cast moderate shadows along the ground and she opted to keep to them. Esther was only a little ways away and had the time to get her shit together before her special brand of B&E.

Esther climbed out of the driver’s seat, shut the door, and leaned into the backseat to rifle through her new goodies.  
The earpiece went in first. She did a mic check, Joseph’s answering voice going straight to her brain made her cringe. Next was the vest. When she undid all of the velcro to slip it on, a heavy thud at her feet made her pause with the kevlar barely on.  
Half hidden under the shade of the tire was the leather-wrapped hilt of a knife. Jacob’s knife.  
She picked it up and cradled it to her chest like some love-sick teenager, but couldn’t be bothered to give a single shit because if that wasn’t a show of trust, she didn’t know what was. Esther didn’t dare look into it any further than that because that way led to feelings she definitely shouldn’t get into right before a rescue.

Esther placed the knife on the backseat and finally managed to get the vest in place to velcro it secure. She switched out of her boots and into her sneakers because Reasons.  
Her hair was tied tight and low, ends tucked under the collar of both the vest and her shirt just in case.  
Esther strapped the knife to her right thigh, gun holster on her left, assault rifle hung at her side.

Next, she climbed into the bed of the pickup and hopped over the random bullshit she left back there (or was it Sharky and Hurk? She could never tell anymore) to get to the cooler anchored down in the back. She'd have to lay the bait out and wait for Peaches and Cheeseburger for a bit before they stormed the castle. 

Esther chilled out in the open bed, the bait laid out a few feet away. She swung her legs back and forth before deciding to try the comms.

"This is Snake. Colonel, can you hear me?"  
The hum of static in her ear only lasted for half a beat before she got an answering sigh.  
"We hear you loud and clear, Deputy. There're only a couple hours of daylight left, what're you waiting for?"

Esther scrunched up her nose, "How are you guys watching me right now?"  
She heard a giggle on the other end-- Faith.  
"We have a drone flying overhead to provide some help."  
"Oookay, well, I'm waiting on some backup, but they'll probably join me when the shooting starts."  
"Don't tell me you're bringing Boshaw and Drubman into this."  
Jacob's voice made her stomach flutter and a small smile stretch across her lips.  
"Nah, I'm bringing in the big guns. Sorta."

A rustle in the brush ahead of her caught her attention and her smile grew.

"Deputy, there's a bear headed right for you. I think you should--"  
"Nah, we're good, that's just Cheese. Means Peaches ain't too far behind."

Not long and the massive bear was snacking on the salmon she laid out for him, her hands buried in the fur at his neck.  
"Who's a good boy?"  
He looked up, tongue lolling out of his mouth.  
"Cheeseburger's a good boy!"

Esther rubbed at his cheeks and let him get back to eating. Once she stood, there was another warning in her ear before she was tackled to the ground by a wall of muscle.  
Peaches' purring was about as loud as a fighter jet and Esther was happy to see the prissy cat just about enough to purr herself.

"Why hello to you too, Princess Peach!"

The shouting in her ear went ignored as Esther butt heads with the cougar and scratched under her chin.

"Alright Miss Thing, go eat your snack so we can go save Baby Seed."

Peaches padded over to her bait and eagerly devoured it, primly licking her paws.

Esther looked up, eyes shaded from the evening sun, to see a small drone flying overhead. She snorted and tuned back into the comms.

"Guys, chill. I'm fine, Peaches and Cheeseburger are fine. We're just about ready to go."  
"How you've managed to enchant your pets without Bliss is quite interesting, Deputy Solomon."  
She rolled her eyes.  
"Not really. And they're not pets, they're friends. Now, a moment of silence, please."

Esther knelt in front of both animals and placed her hands on their heads, bowing her own.  
"Ancestors watch over us and keep us from harm. Spirits of vengeance and strength guide our hands... and paws."  
She kissed both of their heads, her nose rankling at Cheeseburger.  
"You're getting a bath later, bro."

Her attention back on the comms, "Alright, we're going in. Wish us luck!"  
She turned back to her companions.  
"Okay Cheese, Peaches," all eyes on her.  


"Let's go!"

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on tumblr if you want.  
> odinslumped.tumblr.com


End file.
